The Liberal Democrat leader, Ed Davey, has called for the UK to do more to defend its democracy after it emerged that Elon Musk's family foundation funded a trip to Russia for the far-right activist Tommy Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon. Errol Musk, the father of the billionaire tech mogul, told the Guardian that he had personally brought Robinson to Moscow, with costs covered by the Musk Foundation. Davey described Robinson as "a useful idiot for a hostile state", warning of the need to guard against "far-right thugs, shady tech bros and foreign interference".

Robinson appeared in Moscow last month, sharing footage from a luxury hotel and issuing calls for supporters to take to the streets following a knife attack in Belfast. His visit coincided with the Kremlin apparently forging links with European far-right figures, including the influencer Andrew Tate and his brother, who were also in Russia at the time. Errol Musk, a self-described Russophile who has previously met Vladimir Putin, said meetings alongside Robinson covered topics such as Russia's declining birth rate. Police stopped Robinson and seized his phones on his return to Britain, while the episode has renewed questions over UK authorities' use of X, the platform owned by Elon Musk.